Devotion
by Dewgong
Summary: He was unwilling to let her go, no matter the price he would have to pay.


Her body was still warm to the touch. Only the still body, no longer requiring life-giving oxygen, let him know for sure that she was gone. His Kisara. Gone forever.

Salty tears burned his eyes as he stared at her. She was still just as beautiful as the day he had found her. He had saved her that day, and now he supposed this was how she returned the favor. By saving him, she had given up her own life. He'd rather he had died in her place.

"Kisara, I'm sorry. I thought I could always protect you, but I guess I was wrong," he murmured. He hugged her close, willing her to respond, but knowing it was too late. He had failed her.

"It's time," a voice whispered as soft as the rustle of wind in the leaves of trees. He looked up, acknowledging the newcomer dressed in a black cloak, but not really caring about being polite and responding.

"She must come with me now."

"Who are you to take her from me?" he questioned angrily. His tears were forgotten. He was not about to let her go, especially not with this stranger.

"Who else could I be? I am death, and I'm am taking what's mine," the stranger responded calmly as if were that simple.

He stood up, his eyes blazing so brightly that the man in the black coat stepped back. "I am the High Priest Set, and you'll have to go through me to get her."

Death began laughing, quietly at first but growing louder with each gasp of air he took. Set looked at him in confusion. He had expected anger or violence, but not mockery.

"Is it so funny to you? To watch a man lose his heart in the blink of an eye? To see someone's life drain slowly away?" Set yelled. Death stopped laughing, his smile replaced by anger.

"You know nothing of life and even less of death."

Set shook his head as a sad smile formed on his face. "Today I learned all I needed to know."

Death looked at the man in front of him, so broken but yet still powerful enough to challenge him. He smiled evilly as a thought came to him. "Do you love her?"

"More than I have ever loved anything else. I would gladly die for her," Set responded instantly.

Death nodded his head in approval. "Interesting choice of words, High Priest."

Set looked questionably at Death who proceeded to pull out a thick black book, its pages held tightly shut by a large skull lock. Death opened it with a bone white key and flipped quickly through the pages settling his eyes as he reached his destination. He put his finger on the word and showed it to Set. Kisara.

"You see? Her name is still untouched which means that she is not residing in the land of the dead…yet. A death has occurred so I must mark off some name, but it doesn't have to be hers…" Death eyes were full of malice as he stared at Set.

"I don't understand. I thought she was dead…"

"Oh she is, but she hasn't gone anywhere. She waits for me to take her to her final resting spot," Death paused before continuing, "she could even come back here if I returned her to her body."

"Then bring her back!" Set shouted. He looked at Kisara still lying peacefully at his feet. He could be reunited with her. He hadn't failed her.

"You haven't heard the rest," Death replied. "As I was saying, a name must be crossed off. And if you want her back, then I must cross off someone else's name."

"Then find some lowly prisoner, a scum of the earth who no longer belongs here. The world will gladly be rid of him."

Death sighed. "That's not how it works. There's nothing in it for me."

Set looked at Death in shock. "But then…what do you want?"

"I think the soul of a high priest will do just fine." Death's malevolent laughter filled the air once more, its venom poisoning the once pure atmosphere.

Set took a step back to try to rid himself of this evil standing before him. "You're pure wickedness."

Death's lips quivered into a pout as if he had truly been insulted. "I'm offering you what you wanted. You said you would die for her, and here's your chance. If I were truly wicked, I would have simply taken her from you already."

Looking once more at Kisara, he realized this was his one chance to save her. He knew that he had no reason to trust Death, but he had no other choice. "Fine. I'll go in her place."

"I knew you'd see things my way," Death answered. He withdrew a pen and flipped through the book. "I'll even be so kind as to let you see her come back to life before you go."

Set nodded as knelt down to hold Kisara in his arms once more. Slowly, her bright blue eyes began opening. She looked up at Set. "What happened? I thought-"

"Nothing to worry about," he cut in. "All that matters is that you're here."

She smiled at him, her face as pure as an angel. "Thank you."

"For what?" he answered confused.

"For everything," Kisara replied simply.

He nodded but looked away as tears once more filled his eyes. One began its slow descent down his face only for her soft caress to brush it gently away. "Why do you weep?"

"Because I am happy."

She shook her head. "Then you should be smiling instead."

In the background, Death slowly began crossing off a name. Set looked at Death and hurriedly turned back to Kisara. "There is something I must tell you"

Kisara sat up looking directly into his eyes. Her white hair, almost a light blue in the sun, blew around her face. She gently took Set's hands in her own.

He smiled. "You know that I would do anything for you, right?"

She nodded but remained quiet, waiting for him to continue.

"Then you must know that I can't stay here. I must go and you must live without me," He guilty looked at the ground. "I was too selfish to let you go and now I ask that you do what I could not."

"What do you mean?" Kisara looked frightened and tightened her grip on him.

Death's pen slowly finished its path.

"I love you," Set said as his body began to go limp. His eyes closed and he felt himself falling towards the ground. Kisara's hands grabbed his body and pulled him close.

"No, don't leave me," she wept into his side, "I love you."

"Don't worry. He will come back, but you will be long gone. He will have to face the world alone as you do now, but he will not remember you and he will live as if he never knew you. It is a price he must pay," A voice whispered in the wind. Death had already disappeared and only his words remained.

Kisara looked up to find the source of the voice and realized she was alone and would now be forever.

So that was my take on what happened after she died and why Seto Kaiba has no idea who she is. I hoped you liked it and didn't think it was too depressing.


End file.
